Sunday, August 28, 2011

The title of the news report summarises it best:
"Genetically Modified "Serial Killer" T Cells Obliterate Tumors in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia"

And when they say obliterate, they aren't kidding! Apparently the genetically modified T Cells in the trials killed so many tumor cells (about 2 pounds worth in each patient) that the patients suffered from tumor lysis syndrome - basically the body is flooded with too many dead cancer cells all at once. Carl June, the head researcher, said, "The trial exceeded our wildest . . . imagination..." (or something to that effect).

Although researchers caution that more trials are needed (its only been tried with 3 patients) and the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine cautioned that they've really got to see if barriers to its successful use will pop up later, ... with results like THAT, it sure sounds to me that they've found a real way to combat this specific form of leukemia.

Well, sort of. I'm no medical researcher, but apparently the means through which the genetically T Cells were made are pretty bizzare.

Yeah... holy shit, isn't there some concern that the genetically modified T Cells may go out of control and give you AIDS??? Hypogammaglobulinemiawas apparently an expected chronic result, which sounds a lot milder than full blown immunity deficiency. Furthermore:

"The Penn team pioneered the use of the HIV-derived vector in a clinical trial in 2003 in which they treated HIV patients with an antisense version of the virus. That trial demonstrated the safety of the lentiviral vector used in the present work."

Does that mean its supposed to be safe? Damn, that's some exciting yet scary research going on!

Monday, April 11, 2011

True to form, I created personas of HJ and myself to play with and tried to make them as consistent with ourselves, at least in personality and looks, as possible. Here's the personality traits that I first picked for HJ:

FrugalNeatGreen thumbComputer Whixx (loves computer games)Bookworm

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HJ: You made me have "Green thumb?" Not sure about that lar...Me: Well, there's always "HOPELESS ROMANTIC" trait.HJ: Hahaha... if you think that's me can lor.Me: Well, there's also "hot-headed" and "emotional" trait, but those are pretty nasty to deal with I think.

What I didn't tell him was there was a trait called "Never Nude". Which means what it says. :P

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For myself, I chose:

Computer Whizz (again, loves games)GENIUS (*cough cough*)Angler (well, I do enjoy it more than others! wasn't sure what to pick)LonerLucky

Heh.

As I started the game, it became evident that there were a few changes since Sims 2. For one, you can't access Potions of Youth (or items with similar function) so easily. Otherwise you'll wither and die in a short number of game days. Certainly not an option when playing personas of yourself!

Sims 3 has Ambrosia, which resets your age in the current stage of life (baby, child, teen, Young Adult, Mature Adult, Elder). Getting it is very difficult, and needs a lot of money, gardening, fishing and COOKING SKILL.

So I decided to metagame. So much for trying to be consistant with our real life selves....

HJ's traits:Natural CookNeatBookwormComputer whizzGreen thumb

My traits:AnglerAmbitiousWorkaholicLuckyGreen Thumb

The goal was to get the blasted Ambrosia in time before we become too old. Who wants to live forever as an Elder?

The problem was I messed the process and planted the wrong seeds (they're unnamed). HJ (who, ironically, was older than my persona) was going to advance to a Mature Adult and I couldn't stop it in time. I could probably make Ambrosia before we both advance to Elder stage, but not in time to prevent us aging from Young Adults into Mature Adults. Could I just let it happen and stay forever as Mature Adult instead of Young Adult?

...no, that's not acceptable! Failure! Try again!

(I actually failed twice, this is summarised account of events)

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After two failed attempts at imortality, then I noticed this new option in the gameplay menu: "Disable Aging".

Thursday, February 03, 2011

The Year of the Rabbit begins on 3rd of February, 2011. This year is generally considered as an unfavourable year since 2011 will usher in the Wood Rabbit in a Metal Year. Since the metal element generally works against the wood element, men are advised not to have their kukuchio pierced this year as they can expect at least some uncertainties and continued troubles carried over from the roller-coaster Tiger Year. Specifically however, each of the signs have different opportunities and threats to look out for in 2011.

Ox (oxes? oxen? oxees?) should spend less time... copulating this year. This year is filled with inauspicious signs for the ox's sexual life, filled with accidents such as more broken beds... or worse. Humility and discretion is highly advised to the ox, especially in keeping details of your sexual experiences to yourself. You have been warned.

Rabbits should consider giving ang pows to their younger friends in order to increase their karma. Be as generous as possible.

Dragons should pamper monkeys at every available opportunity as the stars of the dragons and the monkey are in alignment. Dragons can expect to be moving around a lot, but need to take additional care to be extra nice to monkeys in spite of their mobility. Dragons with monkeys for partners should consider spending additional effort to expel the vigor in the bedroom with their partners in order to increase their positive energy.

Horses this year should expect to plenty of purchasing of property and investment. We advise horses to consider buying a place to stay that is close to their friends so that they can enjoy a healthy social life which will be important to keep you fortunes in investments high this year.

Goats can expect this to be a great year for expanding their musical talents. So goats should take whatever opportunities are available to improve yourself musically. If you need to enlist the help of friends, be sure to treat them to an expensive Japanese buffet so as to keep your positive energy in check.

Monkeys should be expecting many great things this year, especially in the bedroom if your partner is a Dragon. If their partner is a rabbit, well, we needn't say much about the stamina of the rabbit. Monkeys should do their best to persuade Dragons to treat them as nice as possible in order to increase the fortunes of both. Monkeys who are recently into pumping their bodies should consider slowing down to let their fellow monkeys who are not so healthy catch up as this will increase their karma this year.

Roosters have a mixed forecast this year. In order to be hot before 30, roosters should consider treating monkeys to meals at every available opportunity. Be sure to eat only non-oily, fat free foods. Roosters with unusual tastes in clothes should consider adjusting their wardrobe this year. We fully encourage roosters who have the body for it to stay shirtless as often as possible so as to encourage other roosters to be hot before 30.

Dogs should expect to move from the position of the dog often this year. The style of the dog this year appears to involve a lot of shifting positions and locations. We advise dogs to travel lightly, so consider giving away things you do not need such as PS3s to Monkeys. Dogs should also expect to be doing a lot of instructing in pumping of bodies, and may need to manage their cheer leading teams carefully.

Giant pandas are expected to have issues with health this year, especially with their weight. Giant pandas should consider eating less bamboo shoots and expanding their diet to other types of foods. Going into a rampage and attacking hapless tourists is highly inadvisable as it can lead to ridicule, unhappy zoo keepers, or castration.

Sunday, December 05, 2010

While playing a game on facebook (Backyard monsters. Excellent game actually. Love it to bits), a 12 year old girl contacted me for a "truce". I spoke quite kindly I think so she started to want to chit chat.

"At your age, your parents may want to know who you talk to on the internet. Please let them when you talk to strangers and let them read your messages from time to time if you can," I cautioned.

"Thanks, I'm very carefull."

That made me think of something else though....

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My friends from my field of work (they're old enough to be my aunt) were concerned that I live with my significant other after only a year of being a couple.

"Would you like it if that was your daughter?"

I said I'd be fine with it. After all, my significant other is 34 years old. That didn't change their minds though.

After the short exchange with the 12 year old though, I started to wonder a little though.

"Living together changes the expectations," they said.

Dear readers, what are your thoughts on this?

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More on Backyard Monsters:

"Backyard Monsters is a good game. This shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with Casual Collective’s track record as a publisher, but it’s still surprising given how far above and beyond expectations the game goes relative to the Facebook platform. Backyard Monsters plays better and looks better than Nintendo DS games sold at retail. To release a game of this caliber for free on Facebook is a real achievement." - Gamezebo

Monday, September 27, 2010

But we didn't have salad dressing. Not that I could eat most salad dressings. Anyway, I had to make my own with ingredients around the house.

Me: "I have olive oil but no vinegar..."HJ: "No vinegar please! Don't like that stuff."Me: "Okay, time to google recipes for salad dressings with olive oil. With no vinegar."

I found a quite few really. Most had vinegar, but fiddling the the Boolean search commands yielded recipes without vinegar.

Me: "This one has adds salt, pepper and garlic... but its for a pasta salad."HJ: "Maybe its better to be light on the garlic since we aren't using pasta."Me: "This other recipe has lemon... and so does this one. And this one. And this one."

But I didn't have lemon. So I settled for olive oil a garlic, salt and pepper.

HJ: "Sparingly please! We can add more to taste later. ...Er, are you using the flavoured pepper powder?"Me: (chopping garlic) "Yes... unless you want to use the peppercorns you bought."HJ: "Yes please... I'll crush them for the omellete and for your salad too... Can use your Himalaya salt ah?"Me: "Why not? It's all we have anyway."

I put the minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then added half a teaspoon of the pink salt.

Me: "Seems like a lot of salt? I put even less than the recipe even, how odd." (stirs thoroughly)HJ: "Here's the pepper, take how much you need... so little ah?"Me: "Sparingly right?"HJ: "Ah, right!"

I dip a bit of salad leaf in to try a bit.Me: (Not much taste?)

I dip another salad leaf, making sure to get some peppercorn.Me: "... ah, that's not bad. The salt didn't mix in the oil though. And it could use... lemon."HJ: "Go buy from the sundry shop downstairs lah. Consider getting lime so we can make lime drinks sometimes."

So I go downstairs to buy a lemon. Or a lime.

At the sundry shop,Me: (No lime or lemon as I expected... but there's something else I could use..."

Back home,Me: "I'm back! No lemon or lime though, but I have got a substitue!"HJ: (cooking) "What's that?... oh!"

Heh.

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It actually worked out quite well. Well, maybe a bit more lemon flavour would have been better. :)